A forgotten birthday
by Solarsystemex
Summary: Po's always excited about his birthday, and that's to spend time with loved ones. But when Tigress forgets after a couple of reminders, she can't help but feel guilty. What happens? Let's take a look and see.
1. A forgotten birthday

**A/N: I decided to write a new story since Memorial Day's coming, but this has nothing to do with memorial day. I'm just using that day to ask a question, do you remember me? I've been gone for so long from January to May, and I'm not getting as much reviews on my stories as I used to...do you remember me...anyone? My story Rudolph Returns hasn't been getting much reviews at all as the first one, Po meets Rudolph...do you remember me? Just enjoy the story please. I don't own KFP.**

A forgotten birthday

**Chapter 1 – A forgotten birthday**

We're all born on a specific day, we don't know when we're gonna be born, because we don't exist before we do know when we were born. I'm talking about the birthday, a special day celebrating when you were born by your family, friends, and loved ones. Yes, birthdays are special days, spending time with loved ones on your special day, enjoy a slice of cake, scoops of ice cream, and other goodies. Just don't eat too much or you'll get sick (LOL). When a birthday's over, you can always look over the happy day, and look forward to your next birthday, but you must also enjoy other people's birthday before your next one arrives. Why am I talking about birthdays? Well, in Ancient China, at the Jade Palace, it was a few days before Po's birthday, and he wanted to let Tigress not to forget since she's so hard at training for a lot of the time.

It was a beautiful morning in the Valley of Peace, everyone's out living their peaceful lives, kids are playing, and customers are dropping by Mr. Ping's noodle shop to get some noodles to slurp. At the Jade Palace, our beloved panda, the Dragon Warrior, and his heroes the Furious Five are hard at training as usual. But Po has a special day coming up in a few days. That's right, Po's birthday's in a few days, and he's excited. Inside the training hall, Monkey and Crane are sparring with staffs while Viper tests her flexibility in the Fiery Field of Death, while Mantis and Po go through the Wooden Gauntlets. Tigress, she's doing pushups, she's done 100 so far, and she's sweating. Po punched his way through the gauntlets and Mantis came out from behind him.

"You're getting better, Po," Mantis commented as he hopped onto Po's shoulder.

"Heh, heh, I try my hardest," Po said as he slightly panted.

Po smiled at Mantis as he went to go get a quick drink of water. As he walked, he thought of the excitement of his birthday, spending time with his friends and his dad. He does like getting gifts, but he doesn't take gifts as the main point of his birthday, he just loves having a day off of training, spending time with his friends and father. He poured some water into a cup and began to drink it. As he drank it, he saw Tigress doing her pushups. He smiled, he walked over to her and stood beside her.

"Hey, Tigress," Po said in a happy tone.

Tigress slightly grunted as she did her pushups, now 116 she's done so far, "Hi Po." Po drank the last of his water and put the cup away.

"You know," Po said with a smile, "I just thought I'd let you know my birthday's in a few days, and I'd just love to spend time with you and the others.

Tigress grunted, "Sure Po, sounds nice." She stood up and began to walk outside to train by herself.

"Okay, Tigress, I'll talk with you later," Po said with a smile.

Tigress nodded as she headed out the door.

The next day, Tigress is doing some exercises with some nunchucks, she did all kinds of kicks and made awesome hits with the nunchucks she had. Po came out, he smiled and he was practically giddy when he saw Tigress doing her "awesomeness." He walked over, Tigress didn't see him and she accidentally hit him with a nunchuck.

"Owww!" Po groaned as he fell, holding his nose.

Tigress looked and she sees Po holding his nose in pain, she put the nunchucks away and helped him up.

"Are you okay, Po?" she asked.

"I'm fine," Po assured her, "I guess I got too into the awesomeness."

Tigress slightly rolled her eyes, "So, what do you want?"

"My birthday's the day after tomorrow, I just wanted you to know that I'm looking forward to spending time with you," Po replied with a smile.

Tigress began walking away, "Okay..."

Po began getting giddy again, he's so excited to spend time with his friends and father. The next day, Po's in the Hall of Warriors, he's so excited, and then...SMASH! He broke the Urn of Whispering Warriors...again.

"Uh oh..." He said dryly, "I'm dead..."

"Did I hear something?" said a feminine voice.

Po's ears perked up, he whirled around to see Tigress standing there with her arms crossed, she narrowed her eyes at Po.

"Please don't tell Shifu!" Po begged, he bent down, "I can fix it!"

He began fiddling with the pieces of the broken Urn, but he found no way to fix it. Tigress sighed again, a bit annoyed at Po breaking the Urn again. Po looked up at her.

"Please don't tell him!" Po begged.

"Sorry, it's my duty," Tigress replied.

Po sighed, knowing he'll get some extra training later today. He wanted to remind Tigress of his birthday again, but he decided not to since he has already reminded her twice.

"Fine," Po groaned, not wanting to get in trouble again, but he has to fix his mistake and face the consequences.

The next day, the day Po's been waiting for, his birthday, he's so excited about today, mostly about spending time with his friends and dad, that's what he considers his birthday's about, not about presents and cake, but time with friends and family. When the morning gong rung, Po woke up late...again, and when he came out of his room, believing to be dead by Shifu again, his friends were standing at the end of the hall.

"Happy birthday!" they all shouted in succession.

Po jumped, but then he began laughing, his friends except Tigress got in a group hug, his friends began telling him things like "Happy birthday" and Mantis said "Nice to see you living to see another birthday." Po looked at Tigress with a smile, she smiled back at him.

"Happy birthday, Po," she said with a smile.

Po broke free of the group hug and hugged Tigress, much to her shock, but she hugged back. Her friends' eyes slightly widened at the sight, but then they smiled. Tigress and Po broke free and the female tiger shared a smile with Po.

"Hey Po!" Viper said happily, "I made you breakfast for your birthday!"

"You did?!" Po exclaimed happily, "That's wonderful Viper!"

"Let's go eat!" Mantis exclaimed as he dashed out of the hall in front of the others.

They all began walking while Tigress was at the rear, she felt guilty and had a bit of a guilty look.

_I forgot his birthday,_ she thought, _How could I forget?_

She looked straight ahead and sees how happy Po is with his friends, she didn't want him to know she'd forgotten his birthday!

_I'll just act natural, if I act like I know it's Po's birthday, it won't be ruined, _she thought.

Now Tigress thinks birthday are a time of just cake, presents and goodies, she doesn't know the true meaning of a birthday, for she's never had a birthday party before, unlike Po. When they arrived in the kitchen, there's a bowl of noodles for everyone, sticky dumplings, milk, and bean buns.

"Wow!" Po said in a happy tone, taking it all in, "This is awesome, Viper!"

"Thank you," Viper said in a sweet tone.

Po looked at his friends and they shared smiles, Tigress smiled to hide her guilt. As they all sat down and began to eat, Shifu walked in.

"Happy birthday, Po," he said with a smile.

"Thanks Master Shifu," Po said as he smiled.

Shifu smiled as he sat down, the party's in 30 minutes, Po's excited about it, but Tigress can't help but feel guilty about forgetting his birthday. After they had a wonderful meal, and an occasional joke from Po that made them laugh while Tigress smiled, Mr. Ping arrived.

"Happy birthday, my son!" he exclaimed happily, "Oh, jolly day! My boy's growing up!"

"Dad," Po said, slightly embarrassed, but with a smile on his face.

Po and Mr. Ping hugged one another, when they broke apart Mr. Ping said, "I've brought cake and ice cream!"

"Awesome!" Po said happily.

"And we've brought you candy to go with it!" Monkey said happily, putting his arm around Crane.

"Yes, we did," Crane said with a smile.

"Thanks guys," Po said as he smiled, "I love having friends like you."

Tigress felt even _more_ guilty after he said that, if she had done something for him...if only...what kind of friend is she? Her thoughts anyway. After more eating, and Mr. Ping embarrassing Po, it was time for the party to start. When they entered a room that's mostly empty for a lot of the time, but sometimes used on special occasions, there was a chocolate cake with Po and the Furious Five on it, including Shifu and Mr. Ping. There's chocolate and vanilla ice cream arranged in a bowl to form the Yin Yang symbol, plus some candy added by Monkey and Crane.

"Whoa! This is awesome!" Po exclaimed in a happy tone.

"Glad you like it, Po," Mantis said with a smile, "I hope you'd like the ice cream formed into the Yin Yang symbol, my idea."

"And it was a great idea too!" Mr. Ping exclaimed.

Po looked at Tigress, "Isn't this great, Tigress?!" Tigress held her guilt and smiled.

"Yes, it's wonderful, Po," she said softly with a smile.

They all sang the Happy Birthday song and began to enjoy cake and ice cream, Tigress held back on the cake and ice cream some since she's always trying to keep her figure hard and ready for fighting, and Po understood.

Now, it's time for presents.

"Hey, Po, how about some presents for your birthday?" Viper asked as she smiled.

"Presents?" Po asked with a smile, "Oh, you shouldn't have!"

"Oh, we insist! We love celebrating one another's birthday," Monkey said happily.

Po sat down in the middle of the floor while Tigress had a guilty face, she wished she'd not forgotten Po's birthday! Monkey went first, he gave Po some new staffs a copy of his recipe for almond cookies, and the limited addition action figure of Po.

"Aw, thanks Monkey," Po said with a smile, "But this is too much."

"Nah, it's all good! All good for you, Po!" Monkey cheered.

Po chuckled as he hugged Monkey, Crane went next and he gave Po instructions on how to do calligraphy, two tickets to the Carnival next week and some money to spend at the Carnival.

"Aw, thanks, Crane ol' buddy!" Po said happily as he slapped Crane's back.

"No problem, Po," Crane said, Po accidentally hurt his back, but the avian didn't want him to know.

Viper went next and she gave him a red ribbon, a gold one, and a black and white one. Then she gave him 50 Yuan to spend it on what ever he wanted. Po hugged her and thanked her for her gift. Mantis went next, he gave Po 150 Yuan, much to the panda's surprise and delight and he gave him some important medical notes.

Tigress let Shifu go next, her friends suspected she had a great gift for Po, but she was biting her lip in guilt as she tried to hide it. Shifu gave Po a golden cape with Chinese characters spelling out "Dragon Warrior". Po thanked him for the gift as his dad gave him a hug and the limited additions of the Furious Five.

"Wow!" Po exclaimed happily, "Awesome, Dad! These things are hard to get! How did you do it?!"

Mr. Ping laughed, "I would do a lot for my boy. Even if I had to travel across China to get those for you and to spend...a lot of money."

"Oh, so that's why you were gone for a week," Po said, teasingly.

"And Po had to work the whole week," Monkey chuckled.

"And don't forget when he..." Mantis started.

"All right, Mantis!" Po said, annoyed.

Monkey and Mantis laughed at the memory, while Po slightly blushed. When they were finished laughing, everyone noticed Tigress hasn't given her gift yet. She's so lost in her thoughts on how she could've forgotten.

"Tigress," said Shifu, snapping her out of her thoughts.

"Uh...yes?" she asked.

"You haven't given Po his gift yet," said Shifu.

Tigress knew this was it...she was about to be found out. She looked at her friends, and they were waiting for her to give it to Po. She looked at Po and he looked slightly confused. Her guilt is killing her.

"Tigress, did you forget?" Shifu asked

"Uh..." said Tigress, "Uh...no...I just left it at..."

"Tigress, did you forget Po's birthday?" Viper asked.

"Uhm...no, why would I..."

"Tigress," said Shifu.

The guilt is overwhelming now, she thinks Po won't treat her as a friend, but as a monster who doesn't care. She sighed, expecting the worst.

"I...I forgot..." she whispered.

Her friends slightly gasped. Po was slightly disappointed, but he doesn't need presents to have a good birthday. Tigress felt ashamed, she felt like a monster who doesn't care for his birthday. Before Po could say anything, she just left the room.

"Tigress..." Po said.

Shifu sighed, "I'm sorry, panda. I'm sorry she forgot."

"But I don't see my birthday as getting presents," Po explained.

"Well, what do you see it as?" Shifu asked.

"Well, birthdays are about spending time with friends, family, and loved ones. I just enjoy being with y'all," Po explained.

Shifu nodded, and then Po asked, "Can I go talk with her? To let her know I'm not upset with her?" He hoped to hear a 'yes' from Shifu.

"Go ahead," Shifu replied, "She needs to know."

In her room, Tigress shut her door and sat down on her bed, feeling ashamed for forgetting Po's birthday. He's a great friend to her, and she forgot his birthday.

_How could a friend forget a guy like Po's birthday?_ She asked herself, _I guess he'll see me as a monster now..._

She recalled Po reminding her during training, those thoughts now came back to her mind. She slightly felt like crying, but she held them back. She could do nothing but feel the guilt creeping through her.

_Knock, knock_

Someone knocked on her door, she slowly looked up.

"Tigress, it's me Po."

Oh boy, she feels guilty, and fears she'll be rejected from his friendship with her.

"Tigress, I want you to know that I'm not upset with you. I don't see my birthday as presents, cake and goodies. I'm here to explain that to you. I understand if you don't open up, but I just wanna talk with you," Po explained.

Tigress began thinking, Po's not angry with her it sounds like. But could it be a trick? She doesn't know if he's pretending not to be angry, but knowing Po, he's not told a dirty joke, he hasn't treated her like a monster, he's caring, and is always there for his friends in need. She did let him know she was there for him back in Gongmen City, so...she stood up and began walking to the door. She opened it up and had a slightly guilty look on her face when she faced the panda.

"Oh, good, I thought you wouldn't answer," Po said with a sigh of relief.

Tigress sighed, "Look Po, I'm sorry I forgot your birthday."

"It's okay, Tigress," Po replied as he put his hand on her shoulder, "I don't care if you got me a present or not."

"You don't?"

"No," Po said with a smile, "I've got a great friend who's awesome in kung fu, and you're fun to be around."

Tigress slightly scoffed, "Me? When am I fun to be around? I'm just a boring Tigress who likes to do kung fu."

"Oh, come on Tigress," Po said, "You and I do have good times like during the Winter Feast, you were smiling and laughing some of the time. What about during the festivals? You smile a lot. Tigress, you're not boring, I like being with you every day."

Tigress couldn't believe her ears, no one's said anything like that to her, "Really? People just see me as a monster, and they don't want to hang with me."

"But I do. You're fun to hang out with, no matter what. It doesn't matter if you got me a present or not. All I want is to spend time with you and the others. That's what I think my birthday is really about."

Tigress smiled, Po loved to see her smile.

"Thanks Po," she replied.

"No problem," Po replied, "It's what friends are for."

Then Po hugged Tigress again, shocking her once again, but she returned the hug as she smiled. But she still felt like getting Po a present.

"Come back to the party," Po said as he pulled away from her, "It'll be fun just to hang out with you."

Tigress smiled, "Let's go then." They shared smiles with one another as they began walking back, but Tigress still wanted to get Po a present. She knows to take his advice, but to be a good friend, she decided to go to the Valley after the party to get him a present.

When she got back to the party, Shifu saw that he and her made up, Po explained what he thought about his birthday, and his friends couldn't agree more. While no one was looking, Tigress went to Viper and whispered.

"I'm gonna get Po a present after the party."

Viper smiled, "Good luck." With that, they got back to the party.

**A/N: I was planning this on being a one shot, but I decided to add two more chapters to this...please don't be a silent reader...tell me what you think...**


	2. Finding a gift

**A/N: Here's chapter 2! I hope you all remember me and review...Simba593, I'd love to see you review and many others...anyway, onward with the story. I don't own KFP.**

**Chapter 2 – Finding a gift**

Po's birthday party was a blast, Po played with the Furious Five on some of his favorite games like "Elimination Tag" "Hide and Seek" and Soccer. Tigress enjoyed the games as well, though she just always smiled, she didn't laugh like a maniac like Monkey and Mantis, but she did enjoy the games. Po kept smiling at her and he knew she was having a good time, though Shifu is annoyed by Monkey and Mantis' pranks and childhood attitudes, it's an awesome birthday for Po. Mr. Ping played some too, and he gave them refreshments when needed. Though, everyone was having fun, Tigress still had on her mind to give Po a present for his birthday, she knows because of him that birthdays are about being with loved ones, but she decided to be a good friend to Po since he's been nice to her. After a game of soccer and enjoying some more fruit punch, all of the warriors sat down on a blanket laid across the grassy field. The field is beautiful with luscious grass, blue skies, and a golden sun shining down on the warriors.

"So, have you had an awesome birthday party, Po?" Crane asked with a smile.

"Oh, yeah! It's been awesome hanging out with y'all!" Po exclaimed happily.

All of the Five, besides Tigress cheered, she just smiled and chuckled as Shifu and Mr. Ping looked on to the happy gang. Po moved over next to Tigress and gave her a cup of fruit punch, she smile as she gratefully took it.

"Tigress, have you been having a good time?" Po asked.

Tigress nodded, "Yeah. It's been...awesome." Po chuckled as he playfully pushed her, she returned the push but he fell onto Monkey.

"Whoops," said Tigress as she sipped her drink.

"Nah, it's cool!" Monkey said.

"Same here," Po said with a smile.

Tigress smiled, she's enjoying her time with her friends. Later that day, the party was over, but not the fun. While Po and his friends played, Tigress decided it was time for her to buy Po a present. She went to her room and packed up her sack of coins. She began to leave, and once she stepped out of the barracks, she met up with Shifu.

"Tigress, are you going somewhere?" he asked.

"Yeah," replied Tigress, "Why do you ask?"

"Well, I thought I'd check up on you to see what you were doing," replied Shifu, "Now, where're you going?"

Tigress looked around, she knew her foster father can keep a secret, she made sure no one was around, she looked back at her father.

"I'm going down to the village to find Po a present," she replied.

"Really?" Shifu asked, a little surprised, "But didn't he tell you he doesn't need a present from you?"

"Yes, Master," replied Tigress, "I still feel a bit guilty though. Po's a good friend, and I want to be a good friend back by getting him a present."

"Ah, so you want to fix your mistake?"

"Yes, Master. I just wanna show Po that I accept him as a great friend, and a fellow warrior."

Shifu smiled at his daughter, she's doing something nice for Po. He went up to her and she knelt down towards him.

"Tigress, I need to tell you something," he said.

"Sure Father," Tigress replied.

Shifu put his hand on Tigress' left paw and she gently grasped it.

"Tigress, what matters about a gift is that it comes from your heart, it doesn't have to be expensive or fancy. What matters is that you reach into your heart to find what kind of gift that's right for him or her," Shifu explained "Do you understand?"

Tigress nodded as Shifu continued, "Remember that, and good luck finding Po a present." Shifu smiled at her and she smiled back, Tigress pulled him into a hug and he returned it. With that, Tigress stood up and began to leave.

"I'll be back in a few hours," she said.

"I'll be waiting for you," Shifu replied. "If they ask about you, I'll tell them you had a quick errand for me."

Tigress nodded and gave the 'thumbs up' sign before she left.

Tigress walked through the Palace Arena, down the Thousand Footsteps and down into the Valley. She kept her sack tight around her if any bandits came. She was wondering what she should give Po, a ticket to the dumpling eating contest? Nah. A new ladle for cooking? No, he's already got a new one. She doesn't have much ideas, she might be a hardcore warrior, but she showed Po she does care and she has emotions, but she doesn't wanna represent them too much. She walked past some food stands, but she wanted to give him something different, only she didn't know what.

_Oh, what can I find for Po?_ She thought

She didn't know, then she walked by the new mall. She stopped. She looked in the windows and decided to go in and look for a gift. Once she entered, her eyes slightly widened at the mall, there're lots of stores, there's a second floor with a bridge crossing over the first floor. Lots of geese, pigs, sheep and some antelopes are walking through the mall.

_I guess I was right to say I'm gonna be gone a few hours,_ she thought.

With that, Tigress began looking around the mall, she did find some footballs, some new golf clubs and baseball bats. Nothing panned out so far, she did think about finding him a new pot or pan, but he's got two of each. She had a thought about getting him some new action figures, but Po's got tons of them, plus his dad has bought him the limited addition of himself and of the Five. She's getting annoyed, she doesn't know what to give him! Then she walked past a golden necklace. She stopped.

The necklace is a beautiful gold necklace with a yin-yang symbol in the middle of it, it had red, blue, green, orange and yellow jewels. Tigress loved the necklace, and it would seem fitting on Po. She went into the store and walked up to a pig cashier.

"Can I help you, ma'am?" the cashier asked.

"Yes," Tigress replied, "How much is that necklace in the window?"

"For you, 500 Yuan."

Tigress gasped, "Five-Five-Five hundred Yuan?!" Her right ear and eyelid slightly twitched.

"Look, I know you have a great store here, but I need to get that necklace," Tigress said.

"Why? Forget someone's birthday or something?" the pig woman asked.

Tigress made a bit of a dumbfound face as her eyelid and ear twitched again. She snapped out of her trance and reached into the sack she had.

"Look, I can give you 400 Yuan, that's all I have," she said.

"Sorry, the lowest we can go to is 450."

"That's not good enough," Tigress said.

"Sorry, but it's no good."

Tigress snarled and stormed out of the store and back into the main hallway of the mall. She's very ticked off. She walked around for a couple hours and hasn't found anything for Po. She's very ticked off, she hasn't gotten him a present yet!

"Bandits!" someone shouted.

Tigress looked around as people began panicking and running, Tigress saw five wild boar bandits. She charged towards them and began throwing kicks to them. One knocked her away, but she recovered.

"Take her down!" the leader shouted.

"Not today!" Tigress shouted.

Tigress jumped into the air and kicked one away, she ducked underneath the others, she spun around on her head, kicking them. She punched and threw several kicks, but she didn't know that she lost most of her money while fighting. The leader punched her, she landed on her feet and charged. She kicked the leader and knocked him out cold. She finished the others off as well, when she did, everyone cheered for her. Tigress smiled and began walking away while the security seized the wild boar bandits.

As she walked, Tigress noticed that her sack seems lighter, she looked in and sees she only has 50 Yuan left. Oh, anger fueled her body and spirit, she wanted to scream/roar, but it took every ounce in her body not to do so. She made heavy footsteps as she walked, and then she saw a chisel and a hammer along with paints and six blocks of wood. She can make action figures out of that, but she doesn't know how! Then a goose came up to her.

"Thank you for saving the mall," she said proudly.

Tigress forced a smirk, "All part of the job." The female goose smiled, "I'm offering the Action Figure kit to you for a cheap price for saving the mall, it'll teach you how to make your action figures and how to paint them.

Tigress was curious, "How much?"

"Fifty Yuan."

Tigress froze, that's all the money she had, but Po does love action figures, but he's got like a lot of them! Yet, she wanted to give him something, she remembered what Shifu said, a gift from the heart is what truly matters. She began thinking hard, she can do this and Po might be upset, but he wasn't when she didn't give him a present, so...for a long shot...she decided to purchase it.

"I'll take it," Tigress said.

The female goose smiled and went to go get it for her, Tigress pulled out the remains of her money, she feels ashamed for losing 350 Yuan and spending the last 50 she has, but she knows she must give Po something. She doesn't have to, and she knows it. The female goose returned with the kit, Tigress gave her the money, thanked her and left the mall.

Tigress went to a grassy field, it's 1pm and Tigress has plenty of time to make the action figures. She didn't know what Po thought of them, but she decided to do it, taking the risk. She read the instructions and pictured them in her mind. She began working on Po first, followed by Monkey, herself, Viper, Crane, and Mantis. They came out pretty good but they're a bit lumpy plus the paint job isn't as good as Po's she let them out to dry as she went to the food stand to get her some dumplings. A few hours later, the sun is gone and it's twilight now, the sky's a bit purple, and Tigress should've been back long before now. She looked at the action figures, they couldn't be posed like Po's can, but they're pretty good for a first timer.

_*****__Sigh__*****__I don't know what Po's reaction will be, but...it's better than nothing,_ she thought.

With that, she packed up the action figures and began heading back to the Palace. When she arrived at the barracks, she met up with Shifu.

"Tigress, what took you so long?!" Shifu demanded, "I was about to send the others to look for you!"

Tigress explained the whole thing to Shifu on why she came home late, she made sure Po didn't hear she got him a present. When she was done, Shifu let her go and he was happy for her getting Po some presents. She walked to Po's room and knocked on the door.

"Yeah?" Po said from behind the door.

"It's me," said Tigress.

Po opened the door and he formed a smile on his face, "Hey! There you are! Where have you been?"

Tigress smiled a small smile, "Can I come in? I'll explain everything."

"Sure!" Po said happily.

When he let her in, Tigress is wondering if Po will like his present, she didn't wanna reject him. She stood in front of Po as he closed the door. Then she presented him with a box with wrapping paper on it.

"Wha-? Tigress?" Po asked, surprised.

"I decided to get you a present anyway," Tigress explained, "I wanted to show you that I wanna be there for you, as you've been for me."

Po smiled, "Thanks Tigress! Let me open it!"

Tigress handed Po the box, no turning back now! Po opened it and when he did, he gasped. His eyes were wide and his mouth dropped as much as it did when he saw the Thousand Footsteps for the first time. He looked up at Tigress.

"Happy...birthday..." she said.

Po put the box down, and then he grasped her in a tight hug, surprising her again. When he broke loose from her he put the action figures on his bed with ease.

"Tigress! This is awesome!" Po exclaimed happily.

Tigress smirked, "Well...I was gonna get you something else...but I couldn't...so..."

"What could be better than this?!" Po exclaimed happily, "You made me action figures with your own paws! I love them, Tigress! You're a true artist!"

Tigress chuckled at the panda's praise, "Well, I know they're a little lumpy...but they're a gift...from the heart..."

"And those are the best kind!" Po said happily, "What matters about a gift is that it comes from your heart. So what if they're a little lumpy, you made them! Is that why you're home so late?"

Tigress nodded, and explained the whole thing about the mall, the bandits, losing her money, and getting the kit for 50 Yuan.

"Whoa, I'm sorry you lost your money," Po said, feeling ashamed for her doing so.

Tigress only nodded in response, "I know you got action figures from your dad, but I couldn't think of anything else..."

"Hey, there're only 1,000 copies of the limited versions, but there's only one of your kind. That's what makes yours special!" Po said happily.

Tigress smiled, "Thanks Po."

Po hugged her again and kissed her cheek before he stopped himself. Tigress gasped and Po pulled away, knowing what he'd just done.

"I'm sorry, Tigress!" Po said in a fast tone, "I didn't mean to do that!"

Tigress slightly growled, "Don't ever do that again."

"Yes, yes, never again, Tigress!"

Tigress nodded, and began to leave, Po looked at the Carnival tickets he'd received. Po grabbed her arm, she stopped and looked at him.

"What is it, Po?" she asked.

"Uhm...well..." Po said, trying to swallow the lump in his throat, "I was wondering if...you'd like to go to the Carnival next week..."

Tigress' eyes widened, "A date?"

"No, no, no, no!" Po said quickly, "I just thought I'd take you since you're always busy in kung fu, I thought you could use a break."

"But I don't think Shifu will allow us to go alone, considering him, he doesn't want people dating me without permission."

"Then let me talk with him."

"Po, I don't go to carnivals, I'm not a big fan of them."

"Pleeeeaaasssseee?" Po asked with his best puppy dog look.

Tigress shook her head, she didn't know what to do.

"Tigress, go with him," said a voice.

They both jumped to see Shifu standing in the doorway.

"But Master! The villagers might think we're dating!" Tigress reasoned, "Plus you don't want men to date me without permission."

"That I don't," Shifu said, "But it's Po's birthday present, and Crane gave him the extra ticket to invite anyone he wanted to, and he's invited you."

Tigress looked into Shifu's eyes, and he's serious about what he's saying. Tigress sighed, knowing she can't win against Shifu she nodded.

"Good," said Shifu, he looked at Po, "Don't embarrass her, or brag that you're dating, because you're not."

"Yes Master Shifu," Po said, understanding, "I promise."

Shifu nodded and went away to go meditate, Tigress glared at Po, "You know they'll think we're dating."

"But I just wanna spend more time with you," Po said.

Tigress sighed, not wanting to go to the Carnival, she's never been to one, but she's not a big fan of them either. She just has to face that Shifu is gonna make her go because Po decided to use the extra ticket for her. Po's excited and a bit nervous because the villagers will think they're dating. Next week...the Carnival begins.

**A/N: Was that good? :) Are the characters in character? Let me know please, and I'll see you next chapter! :D**


	3. The Carnival

**A/N: Here's the final chapter to this story, sorry for the wait, but here it is! Oh, and please read Rudolph Returns, it hasn't gotten many reviews, if you haven't already, please read Po meets Rudolph, the first story. It encourages me to write more if people are interested. :) On with the story!**

**Chapter 3 – The Carnival**

One week past since Po's birthday, the panda and his friends resumed their daily lives and training. Po's excited, he's taking Tigress to the carnival with him! Tigress, she wasn't excited about going to the carnival, but Shifu will make her go because Po decided to use his ticket for her. It's now a beautiful evening in the Valley of Peace, the carnival will start in just 30 minutes. In Tigress' room, Viper decided to get Tigress looking nice for the carnival since she was dirty from training. Tigress took a shower and began trying on new clothes, she wasn't liking the idea, she just wanted to get it over and done with. She came out with some new black sweat silks on with dragon patterns on them, she had on a golden vest, Viper put peach scented perfume on her and smoothed out her fur.

"There we are, perfecto," Viper said in a happy tone.

Tigress gave a small glare, "I just want to get this over with." Viper slithered up to Tigress as she sat down, crossing her arms.

"Now, Tigress, I know you're not psyched up about going to this carnival, but Po wants you to have a good time," Viper said in a motherly tone.

"I know," Tigress replied, "I just don't wanna ruin his fun if I'm not having fun as much as he is."

Viper put her tail around Tigress' wrist, "I know, Tigress. You just need to loosen up a bit and have fun. You've had good times before."

"Yeah, that was after Po came."

"You've changed because of Po, I've seen you loosen up because of him. I know you can have fun if you let yourself loose. If you let yourself have fun, you will. And I don't doubt that you won't at the carnival with Po."

Tigress looked at Viper, the snake smiled sweetly and Tigress returned the smile, "Thanks Viper." Viper hugged her sister, and Tigress returned the hug.

"Now, Po is waiting for you, go meet up with him," Viper said sweetly.

Tigress nodded, she got up and walked out of her room, shutting the door behind her. Once she left, Viper softly wished her luck.

In the Sacred Hall of Warriors, Shifu, and Po, who has red and black pants on, are waiting for Tigress to arrive. But Shifu's having a conversation with Po.

"I don't want you two to get in a romantic relationship without my permission, you know what'll happen if you do," Shifu said in a serious tone.

"Yes, Master, but I will make sure Tigress has a great time at the carnival," Po replied.

"I see, just don't get romantic without my permission."

Someone cleared their throat, they looked and Shifu's eyes slightly widened at the sight, Po couldn't believe it, she looked so beautiful in her golden vest with black silk sweats that had dragon patterns on them. She had a small blush on her face as she walked over to Po. She saw him staring at her, she snapped his finger to get his attention.

"Oh! Um..." Po said, feeling embarrassed, "Shall we go?"

"Sure..." Tigress said, not really caring.

With that, they walked out of the Palace, Po looked back at Shifu and said, "We'll be back in a couple of hours." Shifu nodded before they left. As a father's instinct, he decided to tail them to make sure they won't break his rule, especially Po.

Po and Tigress walk down the Thousand Footsteps, admiring the beauty of the last light from the sun, it's below the horizon, but it cast red, gold, and a mix of purple across the western sky.

"Beautiful isn't it?" Po asked, looking at it.

Tigress nodded. Then Po tripped and began tumbling down the stairs! "AGH! Ow! Whoa!"

"Po!" Tigress shouted.

She raced down the stairs and caught Po bridal side (accidentally) before he hit the ground.

"You all right?" Tigress asked.

"Yeah, thank you," Po replied with a small smile.

Unfortunately, the villagers didn't see Po tumbling down the stairs, so they were giving them awe and wondering looks. The feline and panda blushed, but it wasn't visible, so Tigress dropped Po. Ouch. Po stood up and they began trotting away.

"You guys into each other?" a pig called out, but they couldn't hear him, so the word started to spread.

Tigress and Po continued to walk to the carnival, man, was that an awkward moment back there. But Po's not as embarrassed as Tigress is, for he's admired her for so long, her beauty, kindness, wisdom and knowledge is what makes her the girl for him, yet, he's nervous to tell her, and he was scared to death once he kissed her cheek a week ago, he thought she'd kill him! He was so lost into Tigress' beauty, he walked into a pole. He groaned as he held his head. He shook his head and snapped back into reality.

"Po," said Tigress.

"Uhhh...yes?" Po said, shaking his head.

"We're here."

Po looked and when he saw the carnival, he smiled as his eyes widened a bit. The carnival was beautiful with some red and pink lights in it, giving it a red-pinkish glow, there was a Ferris wheel and a place to have fun by jumping up and down on a big, flexible net that's soft and won't hurt anyone, there's even a net barrier to keep people from flying out. Tigress was a little awestruck as well as they came to the entrance. They went to the entrance and gave a pig their tickets, Po's excited, he's spending time with Tigress! When they entered, they saw all kinds of people, rabbits, pigs, sheep, antelope, and some leopards. There were all kinds of games, like "Archery" "Balloon and Dart" "Hit the Bell" and many others.

"Wow! Awesome!" Po said in an excited tone.

Tigress shook her head, and Po began asking things like, "Where do we start on?" "What do you like to do?" "Shall we go already? This is awesome!" Tigress held in a growl, trying to keep herself patient.

"I don't know, why don't you decide?" she asked.

"Great!" Po said, grabbing her arm and began to run.

"Whooooaaaa!" Tigress said as he drug her.

After Tigress told Po to never drag her, they got started on the carnival. Po began throwing darts at the balloons but he kept missing, he offered Tigress up a turn, but she turned away, but Po put his hand on her shoulder and gave her a dart to at least try, Tigress sighed, she turned around and threw it, hard, it popped a balloon and it landed on the stand's host "Yow!" Tigress and Po both cringed a bit but the man gave Tigress a small stuffed panda, looking just like Po. Tigress rolled her eyes as they moved on. Next, they wanted to test their strength, so they went to "Hit the Bell". Po went first, he grabbed the giant sledge hammer and hit the bell, the thing went up the pole and hit the bell up top.

"Impressive, Dragon Warrior," a female sheep said, giving him a stuffed tiger, just like Tigress, making Po and Tigress give each other odd looks. Tigress stepped up and hit the bell, and when she did, the bell cracked, "Whoops." The sheep called for a replacement as they moved on.

Next, they climbed up a ladder to a slide, Tigress was starting to get into it, she remembered Viper's words to loosen up and have fun. She saw people sliding down and spinning around while doing so, Po went ahead of her and he slid down, but he couldn't spin like the others could. So, just to have some fun, Tigress jumped down and slid down the slide, she began spinning around and began to get into the fun. She landed in beside Po, she looked at him with a smile.

"Let's do that again," she said with a chuckle.

"Now, you're talking!" Po said in an excited tone.

So they slid down the slide again and began to do other things, they began to try on masks and each one Tigress wore made Po laugh, and Tigress chuckled. They went to the archery area and competed against each other. Tigress had the upper hand until Po hit the bulls-eye and beat her.

"Woo!" Po cheered, "Awesome! Great game, Tigress!"

Tigress chuckled, "Yeah, you got lucky." Po knew she was teasing so he gave her a playful shove and she returned it. Po loved seeing Tigress loosen up and seeing her soft side, everyone has one, even the hardcore. Shifu's watching from the distance and he's never seen his daughter have so much fun before. Tigress and Po went to the apple barrel, Tigress put her head in the water and got an apple out with her mouth, Po did the same. They played a game when they toss a ring onto a bottle cap to win a prize, they didn't win anything, but they had fun. Tigress couldn't help but smile the whole way as she hung out with Po in the carnival.

After another game of archery, it ended as a draw, Po and Tigress decided to relax and get some snacks. Tigress wasn't the kind to splurge herself, but just this once for the carnival.

"Have you been having fun, Tigress?" Po asked with a smile.

Tigress nodded, "Thanks for bringing me, I haven't had this much fun before."

"Well, just you wait until the grand finale," Po said with a grin.

"What's that?"

Po pointed to the giant net barrier where other animals are jumping and laughing, no one can get hurt though. Tigress looked at Po and he nodded with a big grin on his face.

"Wait right here," Po said with a smile.

Po went away while Tigress sat down at a table, some kid bunnies ran beside her, laughing.

_What happy kids,_ she thought as she smiled.

Tigress hasn't had this much fun in a long time, she's enjoying her time with Po. He's so nice that she can't stay mad at him, even though he annoys her, she can't stay mad, even if she tried. Now she feels touched about being invited to this carnival. Maybe she...no, she's a kung fu warrior, she can't be...

"Hey Tigress," a voice said interrupting her thoughts, Tigress looked to see a smiling Po with some glasses of tea in his left hand, he had lots of candy in his right arm. He put the candy down and handed her the tea, "Want some tea?"

"Sure, thank you," Tigress replied with a smile.

Tigress looked at Po as she sipped her tea down, she couldn't help but look at his eyes as he gulped his tea down, which amused her.

_He has...wonderful eyes,_ she thought, instantly she mentally slapped herself, _No! What're you saying Tigress? He's the Dragon Warrior! I can't be attracted to him!_ She took another sip of her tea, _Yet, he does bring...warmness to my heart..._

"Tigress?" Po asked.

"Huh? What?" Tigress asked, snapping back into reality.

"Are you okay?" Po asked, placing his hand on her shoulder.

Tigress smiled, "I'm fine. I was just thinking."

"About what?"

Tigress stiffened a bit, but it didn't take her long to come up with something, "About you taking me to this carnival."

"Really?" Po asked as he began eating a chocolate bar, "Have you ever gone to any festival, I know you haven't been to carnivals before, but why?"

Tigress sighed, "Well, I was just focused on kung fu, trying to get Shifu's approval of me and love. I never went down for the special holidays, the only holiday I get to celebrate is when we're dining with the 29 Kung Fu Masters."

"So, that's why I hardly ever saw you in the Valley," Po replied.

"I know," Tigress said, "Shifu was stern and strict on my training that he never brought me to the carnival to have fun." There was a moment of silence before she continued, "But, since you came and brought peace to Shifu, he's been nicer and has allowed us to do more, and my friends and I have funner times because of you."

Po smiled, he felt appreciated, "Thanks Tigress, I'm glad you said that."

Tigress smiled back, they are lost in each other's eyes, it seemed like hours as they gazed at each other. But then Po snapped back into reality.

"Hey, I got you a chocolate bar," Po said as he pushed it to her, "I thought we'd go to the Net Jumping Area once we're done."

Tigress nodded as she opened the wrapping paper on the chocolate bar. Tigress never considered herself pretty, all she thought of was as a monster and not attractive, she thinks people are scared of her, but to Po, she's the most beautiful woman he's ever laid eyes on. He can't help but look at her eating her chocolate bar and the red-pinkish light glowing on her, he can almost feel the beauty radiating off her. Even if she got some chocolate on her lips, she was beautiful. Po got back to his candy, making sure Tigress didn't see, but he's oblivious she did see at the last five seconds.

Later, Po and Tigress are walking up a giant staircase, there're other animals walking down beside them they're separated by a rail though. They reached the top with Po slightly gasping for air, the platform's out of the way of the net, the net's a safe distance away. They gave some Yuan for the net, for they're going to bounce.

"Five minutes, and limit is three persons at once," said a pig.

"Thank you," Po said with a smile. He looked at Tigress, "You ready?"

"Sure," Tigress replied, "Need a push?"

"No, no, I can handle it my...WHOA!" Tigress gave him a little push and he fell off, Po began panicking and Tigress jumped down after him.

Po was panicking while he moved his legs and arms all around, but Tigress caught him by the shoulders, and when Po looked into her eyes, he froze, then they bounced back up Po snapped back into reality as Tigress did a front flip. Po began to join the fun, they kept jumping up and down like a trampoline. Then Tigress began to lightly laugh. She and Po began to do somersaults in the air. Po and Tigress then grabbed the net barrier and then jumped off doing some tricks. Po looked at Tigress, she's smiling and laughing. Po spun around as he did a split, he landed on his rear and shot back up in the air. He came by Tigress and grabbed her, startling her, but she began laughing, Po loved to hear her laugh. They grabbed each other's hands and did a little dance in the air. One final bounce up and they landed on the platform, Po had Tigress in his arms, he looked at her as he smiled and she laughed lightly.

They got down back to the main carnival area, Po's giddy having Tigress with him. He wanted to say something, but it's so hard to do so. Po got himself some cotton candy and then they began to leave.

"So, Tigress, did you enjoy your night at the carnival?" Po asked as he took a bite of cotton candy.

Tigress chuckled, "Yeah. I've not had so much fun..." she paused before she hugged him, surprising him, but he hugged back with one arm as she finished, "Thank you, Po, thanks for bringing me here."

Po smiled, "It was an honor to have you, Tigress." What he doesn't know is that villagers began talking about them being together, Tigress, as much as Po, wanted to tell him how she felt.

"Tigress, when we get back to the Palace, I have a gift for you," Po said with another smile.

Tigress looked at him with wide eyes, "You...you got me a gift?"

"Sure, you were nice to me, and I thought you could have a present," Po replied.

"Po, you didn't have to do that."

"Naw, it's all good. I just wanna show how much I appreciate you and..."

"Hey Po!" a feminine voice shouted.

They broke loose from their hug and Po looked to see a leopard with light brown eyes in a light brown dress heading towards them.

"Oh, hi, Ming..." Po said, not happy to see her.

"Who's Ming?" Tigress asked, holding back a growl.

"She's a die-hard fanatic of me, and she wants to...whoa!" Po couldn't finish because Ming grabbed his arm, dropping the cotton candy and Tigress growled.

"Po! I've heard rumors that you're dating Tigress!" Ming growled.

"What? When did you hear that?" Po asked, confused, while wanting to get away from Ming.

"It's all across the Valley! Everyone knows about it! How could you possibily date that monster?!" Ming demanded.

Po gasped, "Tigress is not a monster! She's a..."

SLAP!

"NO! She's a monster! You need a pretty girl like me not her!" Ming spat as if Tigress were a piece of filth in the gutter.

Tigress felt like crying, but she held them back, she growled and pushed Ming away.

"Oh, _you are_ the monster!" Ming spat at her, "Nobody wants you! I've heard all about you being at Bao Gu, and how heartless you are!"

Po stepped up to her and said as he glared at her, "I think you need to leave...and. Stop. Calling. Tigress. A. Monster."

"No! You belong to me!"

She tried to kiss him, but Po pushed her away and stood by Tigress glaring at Ming. Po wanted to fight her, but he knew better. Before it could get messy, Shifu came in and stood in front of Ming, glaring deep into her soul.

"M-Master Shifu..." Ming said with fear in her voice.

"Get out of here!" Shifu shouted, "No one calls Tigress a monster! Be gone with you!"

Ming shuddered in fear, but glared at Po, the panda glared back, as did Tigress, but she was on the verge of tears. Ming huffed and began walking away, earning glares from the villagers, for they all heard what happened. Po looked at Tigress with an apologetic look.

"I'm so sorry," Po said softly.

Tigress just turned around, feeling sad, Po put his hands on her shoulders.

"Look Po, I'm not as attractive as many men would like, and I'm a kung fu master who might accept her life without companionship, it's a fate that..."

"Tigress!" Po shouted, "That is not true!" Tigress looked at Po who continued, "How on Earth can you say that?! Tigress, you might think that, but you're the most beautiful, funniest, and most kind-hearted woman I have ever met, I've been thinking that about you for a long time now."

Tigress was astounded, she's never been told that before, she couldn't believe her ears. The look on her face made Po think otherwise.

_Way to go, Po, way to freak out in front of Tigress,_ Po thought.

Tigress formed a soft and warm smile on her lips, "Thanks Po...that...that means a lot."

Po was too astounded to respond properly, "Oh..you're...oh...I mean...you're welcome, Tigress," he stammered, looking down, feeling like an idiot. Tigress' eyes glimmered in the light and seemed to dance as she kept a smile on her face. Then she dropped it.

"Wait...and the Valley thinks we're dating!" she said.

"And you are," Shifu said with a smile.

Po snapped up and they both looked at him with astounded looks.

"What? Wha-?" Po said, dumbfounded.

"If you want, you two can date," Shifu replied, "I've seen you, Po, you made Tigress have more fun than she's had before. I've seen her laugh and smile a lot more than I've seen or heard."

"Wait, were you spying on us?" Po asked.

"More like an observation," Shifu replied.

Po looked at Tigress, who's trying to swallow the lump in her throat, wanting to say something.

"So, do you want my blessings to date Tigress, Po?" Shifu asked.

Right away, Po nodded, Po looked at Tigress with a wide smile, and she looked astounded. She thought about the times she and Po had in the carnival, the times during the Winter Festival, and him not being mad if she forgot his birthday, plus the kiss he gave her. Could he love her? Well, only one way to find out.

"Yes..." Tigress managed to say.

Then Po hugged Tigress tightly, Tigress returned the hug and she smiled.

"Po, I've never been called 'beautiful' before..." Tigress said, "Thank you."

"Not a problem," Po replied, "You're the most beautiful woman in all of China."

Tigress was astounded again, she's never heard such words like that, she felt warm and happy in Po's arms. Then they walked back to the Jade Palace and entered the barracks. Shifu followed them and wanted to tell Po something.

"Po, I do have some rules for dating Tigress," he said in a stern tone.

"S-Sure..." Po said, a little nervous.

"If you hurt Tigress in anyway, I will make you have broken bones and a world of pain," Shifu said in a serious tone, "And I don't want _any_ romantic gestures in the training hall or during training. And I don't want you two in the same room in night hours. Understood?"

Po bowed before him, "Yes, Master Shifu."

"Good. Head to bed in 10 minutes," Shifu said before he walked out.

When he walked out, Po took Tigress into his room, for he was gonna give her, her present. Po presented a box to her, his hands were a little shaky though. Tigress took it and opened it, and to her surprise...it was the golden necklace with the yin yang symbol and it had the different colored jewels on it.

"What? How?!" Tigress said, shocked.

"I found it at the mall yesterday, I got it for 450 Yuan, and I decided it'll be perfect on you," Po said as he rubbed the back of his neck.

Tigress looked at him with wide eyes, "This...this was my original idea for your present..."

"A woman's necklace?" Po asked with slightly widened eyes.

OH! Tigress blushed deeply, she didn't think of that! Po saw her embarrassment, but then he hugged her to comfort her.

"Tigress, it's okay, I would've taken it anyway, I said before that presents don't matter on my birthday," Po assured her.

Tigress looked back at Po and smiled, feeling assured.

"Also, Tigress, I think you're the best birthday present I could've gotten," Po said softly, "I should've told you that you're worth more to me than anything in this world. Without you, I wouldn't know what to do. I...I love you...Tigress..." His voice was a little dry at the end.

Tigress softly gasped, she's never felt so loved before, she looked at him and whispered, "I...I love you too..." Po gasped

"So...will you give me a chance?" Po asked with awe.

"Only if I get a chance," Tigress whispered.

Tigress began to get nervous, her heart is racing as their faces came closer to one another, her hands are sweating and then...it happened, their lips connected, Po couldn't believe this was happening! Tigress is kissing him! He pulled her close and she wrapped her arms around his neck as his arms went around her waist. They kissed for about five minutes before breaking for air.

"That...was...awesome..." Po said in between gasps.

Tigress chuckled, "Yeah...awesome..." Then she gently kissed him again and he returned it, when they broke apart, Po said, "Best birthday week ever."

"But remember, consider that I'm still hardcore," Tigress said with an evil smile, and then punching Po's shoulder.

"Heh, heh, of course, always hardcore Master Tigress," Po chuckled as he held his shoulder.

Tigress smiled, "Good night, Po. I'll treasure the necklace forever." Then she kissed him good night and Po said "good night" to her before she took her necklace and left for her room. Po began jumping up and down in happiness and joy before he plopped down onto his bed, feeling giddy after a great...birth week!

THE END

**Epilouge**

And after that wonderful day, the policemen seized Ming for trying to kill Tigress and sent her to prison forever, and a year and a half later, Po proposed to Tigress, and gladly accepted.

**A/N: WOW! That chapter turned out longer than I planned! I hope you enjoyed it, and please, please check out the story Rudolph Returns, and review it, it hasn't gotten many reviews right now...if you haven't already, check out Po meets Rudolph, the first story, if you read them, it'll encourage me to write more. And check out Bambi's Kung Fu Adventure if you want. :)**


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